Denny Hamlin who is currently eleventh in the NASCAR Sprint Cup points race has some suggestions to improve the Chase. (Photo: Getty Images)

With 15 points being the maximum awarded to a driver, Johnson would still have a lead off more than one full race heading into Texas. In fact, his points lead would be about as unassailable as it is now.

Hamlin said going to a Chase-only point system would protect drivers who have the occasional subpar finish.

“If you finish 12th and you’re the worst Chase finisher in that particular week and you get one point then you go to the next week and you win, then that’s 16 total points,” said Hamlin. “That’s not as bad as the guy that goes out there and wins (and finishes 43rd the next race) – 43rd kills you. The 40s and 30s, those positions kill you in the old system and it’s not going to put you even with a chance to win a championship.

“Let’s let the guys that get the race wins in the Chase and run consistently up front in the Chase, let them win the championship because they deserve it,” said Hamlin. “Not that JJ (Jimmie Johnson) is not deserving, he would still be up front in this point system and still be the champion, but we would at least have a race at the end.”

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of ?Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,? and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to